Editor's Note
This editor’s note highlights the key facts and market implications behind “Three Korean Building Material Firms Target Chin”, with emphasis on sourcing, product fit, fabrication, logistics, or buyer impact.
KCC, LG Hausys, and Hanwha L&C, three major Korean building material companies, are targeting the Chinese interior market with differentiated strategies.
KCC focuses on PVC flooring in the construction sector, LG Hausys on materials for medical and educational facilities, and Hanwha L&C on design-centric products.
From March 22 to 24, the three companies operated booths at the building materials exhibition 'The 18th DOMOTEX ASIA 2016' in Shanghai, China, showcasing PVC flooring, medical/educational facility materials, and design-focused products, respectively.
The Chinese interior market is a region expected to see high growth. According to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), China's building materials distribution market grew from 187 trillion won in 2009 to 380 trillion won in 2014 and is expected to exceed 610 trillion won by 2019.
KCC’s Focus on Eco-Friendly PVC Flooring
At the exhibition, KCC concentrated on promoting its PVC flooring lineup, including quiet walking flooring and flooring for ships, buses, and hospitals. Specifically, it showcased eco-friendly PVC quiet flooring products like 'Forest Cheong-aram', 'Forest Sori-hyang', 'Forest Sori-sun', and 'Forest Sori-hyu'.
KCC plans to focus particularly on eco-friendly products. It sells products in China that meet emission standards below the limits for formaldehyde (HCHO) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), substances known to cause sick building syndrome. It also holds the highest grade of the Healthy Building Material (HB) mark certification from the Korea Air Cleaning Association.
LG Hausys Targets Medical & Educational Facilities
LG Hausys plans to target the Chinese market for medical and educational facility building materials.
An LG Hausys official said, "We have organized our exhibition hall around the themes of health and education, aligned with China's aging population and two-child policy, and are showcasing flooring and wall materials for medical and educational facilities."
Accordingly, LG Hausys decorated most of its exhibition space to resemble hospital operating rooms, nursing homes, and schools, displaying suitable flooring and functional wall materials like 'Sum Tile' with humidity control for each space.
The company reported that visitors flocked to a test zone where they could directly experiment with the iodine resistance performance of 'Origin', its flooring for medical facilities.
“Origin, with its high-performance special surface treatment, is strong against contaminants like iodine that can be easily exposed in hospitals, is easy to clean, and has excellent durability, making it optimal for spaces like hospitals that have high traffic and require eco-friendliness. It is also very popular in Korea,” said an LG Hausys official.
Hanwha L&C Emphasizes Design
Hanwha L&C participated in the exhibition by emphasizing design. It decorated its booth with the theme 'Excellent Function and Diverse Design from Korea' and displayed various new products divided into categories like schools, office spaces, medical/care facilities, and infant/home.
A Hanwha L&C official said, "Particularly, 'Crescendo', newly introduced targeting the Chinese market, caught visitors' attention."
“Crescendo is a 100% waterproof product that does not absorb water and can be processed into decorative tile forms for interiors, making it usable in various spaces,” the official said.
The official added, "With its excellent functionality and diverse design possibilities, demand for the product is rapidly increasing, centered on the North American market."
Hanwha L&C also showcased 'Ecosafe' flooring, made by blending eco-friendly materials extracted from plants, and the premium product 'Bio VCT' (Vinyl Composite Tile) as specialized products for medical/care facilities.
“Due to urbanization and the increase in single-person households, the scale of China’s building materials market is growing rapidly. By introducing products with excellent functionality and diverse design to China, we aim to spark a Korean Wave trend in the building materials market,” said a Hanwha L&C official.
Source: Read the original article | Published: March 22, 2016